Study Abroad

Congratulations to four UHM students who received FLAS support for intensive language study in China: Koa Webster, Ruby MacDougall, Duncan Aylor, and Melanie Nash. Koa spent the summer at Hainan University studying Mandarin. He writes: “Over the summer I noticed my listening skill became much better and my speaking became more fluid, I could figure out what people were saying if I didn’t know a word they were able to use Chinese to explain the meaning. I believe I still have a lot more to learn, but the best part of the experience was feeling myself progress over the course of the program.” Ruby studied Mandarin at Yunnan University in Kunming. She says, “Before this summer, I was very intimidated by academic writing in Mandarin and this hindered my research progress. Now, I have much greater ability to understand academic sources written in Mandarin and I believe this will open up exciting new possibilities for my research and for future academic discoveries!” Duncan studied Mandarin in Beijing. According to Duncan, “The FLAS was extremely helpful. The best part about it was that it allowed one to design their own program of study while in country, so one could tailor the studying to one’s specific needs. I was able to focus on the skills I needed most, which was not only practical but also helped me to stay motivated. ”

Four students were awarded FLAS Fellowships for intensive Japanese study: William Wainwright, Jonathan Pascual, Maura Stephens, and Matthew Izor. William studied at the International Christian University (ICU) in Yokohama. He writes, “I definitely think ICU helped improve my Japanese language ability. I feel much more confident that I could survive in a work environment that uses Japanese as the primary means of communication.” Jonathan and Maura also spent the summer in Japan while Matthew took advantage of UH’s own language classes to further his study of the Japanese language.

Nine UHM students study Chinese language in China, Taiwan, and Singapore this summer. With FLAS support, Brendan Galipeau, Lily Hui, and Teresa Porter are in China; Stevie Suan is in Taiwan. Here, five in Singapore enjoy the company of Taiwanese exchange students at the Lau Pa Sat food center. Far left, Ellen Meiser, far right, Dominic Pugliaresi. In the back with glasses, Susanne DeVore, flanked on left by Aixiu Cooney and behind right by Connie Nip. Ellen Meiser, graduate student in China Studies, is improving her reading and writing. “I definitely feel like my language abilities have greatly improved. Mandarin Chinese can be written in two different styles of characters: Traditional and Simplified. Prior to coming to Singapore, I could only read and write in Traditional. But, now I can read and write in both! I’m really pleased with the Chinese classes I’m taking here.“